Gone and Forgotten
by sodesne ON HAITUS
Summary: Orochimaru has launched a full out war on Konoha once again demanding for the last Uchiha, Uchiha Sasuke. With the newly appointed Rokudaime, Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha strikes back. All of Konoha is troubled: Who in the world is this Uchiha Sasuke?
1. Prologue

**Gone and Forgotten**

**Summary:** Orochimaru has launched a full out war on Konoha once again demanding for the last Uchiha, Uchiha Sasuke. With the newly appointed Rokudaime, Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha strikes back. A message written in an ancient code that was passed down from Tsunade is to be sent to a strange man. All of Konoha is troubled: Who in the world is this Uchiha Sasuke?

Author's Note

Well there's nothing really to say before the chapter only that '**Disclaimer: I do not, I repeat, _I do not_ own Naruto in anyway**' There will be previous chapter summaries if I even can get the first chapter written before I leave.

Prologue

"Orochimaru again, what is his problem?" the current Hokage seethed gripping the sides of his head, clawing his blond locks of hair.

Uzumaki Naruto glared with fiery blue eyes at the current proposal made by Orochimaru, sent in by a Sound ninja who exploded the moment he gave the scroll to the Hokage. Naruto's blue eyes stood out in the blond hair and tan skin the surround it, his scratch marks on his cheeks were slightly darker than normal. The white Hokage cloak billowed behind him as Naruto paced around the large office. He walked to the large window wall the separated him from outside and peered out.

Konoha was at it's height of peace; merchants roamed the streets checked by ANBU regularly. The Academy now run by Umino Iruka, was now in the clearing in the center of the forest, from an incident Naruto failed to remember. Mission incomes were at it's highest as well, all from difficult A ranks or the simpler D ranks. The farmers were over producing with this year's crop, so much that 1/3 of their produce went to Sabaku, much to Gaara's relief.

Naruto watched as some of his friends in the ANBU waved from their hidden posts, not giving away their positions the blonde smiled back at them. Some Genin teams were staring up at him with wonder, no doubt that one of them was aiming to sit in Naruto's seat in the future. His former teammate, Haruno Sakura was probably running around the hospital with the retired Hokage, Tsunade. Even though old, Tsunade refused to just sit around doing nothing after her time in office.

Sai, one of Naruto's other former teammates, was on an A rank mission with his ANBU team. Naruto smiled at the dark haired man's 'nice' goodbye to him. Kakashi, who was the instructor for Team Seven, didn't take on a new team for some reason and returned to the ANBU. No matter how dense the blond was, Naruto knew that his sensei was defiantly hiding something from them. Knowing that wouldn't help him to get Kakashi to slip though, even if Naruto was ten thousand times stronger than Kakashi in the end Kakashi's slyness would cause him to mess up.

The temporary instructor for Team Seven when Kakashi was hurt, Yamato, took on a Genin team for himself. Team Ten was on a C rank mission to escort a landlord across the boarder into Sand. It was a regular thing for Naruto to get complaints that a white haired old man would peek into the woman's bathes and Jiraya's "_Icha Icha Paradise_" was selling better than ever especially after the old pervert made a sequel.

Glancing at his desk brought Naruto back to his current problem, the scroll. The newly appointed Hokage already read it more than enough times for it to be engraved in his memory already:

_To Uzumaki Naruto, the Rokudaime_

_Orochimaru-sama is persistent to take back the last heir of the Uchihas_

_Especially since on Sound's land did you take him away_

_If this request is not answered after the week this message is delivered_

_We, the ninjas of Hidden Sound, will proclaim war_

Under the nicely written script was a small passage:

_Naruto-kun, you and I have lots of unsettled business I expect Sasuke-kun by the end of this week_

_But if you must be resistant we will proclaim war as said above_

_I am trying to negotiate and avoid war_

_In the end Uchiha Sasuke is mine_

_-Orochimaru_

Naruto scowled deeply, this was _not_ a good thing. No, let him rephrase that, this was a _terrible_ situation. His eyes were bordering red, the canines were slightly enlarged. Truly with all the peaceful time they had, this sudden change was going to be hard. _By the end of this week_, Naruto groaned at the thought. How was he going to talk to the snake man or send a message? This message was delivered six days before, but because of other work to do the little scroll was lost in the corner of the pig sty called his desk. The incident of the Sound ninja exploding was wiped out of his mind when an old mansion that "belonged to an ancient clan" as Kakashi said, caught fire.

The day was today. He needed to confront Orochimaru today, sighing he got to work.

"Hinata-chan, please assemble all the people at the center square. Urgent announcement," Naruto said in a dead serious tone to alert his sectary that this was no joke. "We're proclaiming war against Sound."

"Hokage-sama, we just got out of war five years ago and now were going back?" Hinata uttered every single word without stuttering as loudly as Naruto ever heard the Hyuuga girl speak.

"We have no choice. Unless you want Konoha to be under Sound's control until the old snake man dies, which would be forever," Naruto said with resentment.

"But…I mean…how…unless, they are proclaiming war on us!" Hinata gasped taking longer strides to meet those the Hokage.

"We can't give him what he wants," Naruto heaved a long sighed before continuing; "This is our only option."

"Yes, Hoka-…no, Naruto-kun," Hinata proclaimed softly as Naruto kept running. With a few signs, she disappeared in thin air probably to inform the rest of the building of the plan.

_It's been a while since I've done something this nerve racking_, Naruto thought idly to himself as he leapt from building to building. _After becoming the Hokage, everything seemed so mellow compared to my Genin days._

On top of the stage in middle of the town square, Naruto skidded to a stop letting his large white cloak fly behind him. One ANBU with a dog mask greeted him with a wave and a soft, "Yoh."

"Kakashi-sensei, so you've already heard," Naruto glanced at his former teacher, who he's not seen for weeks. Kakashi took off his mask slowly, light bags under his eyes was all it took for Naruto to know that the silver haired ANBU was taking on too many missions than necessary. "You look, well, you look as if you could just roll on your bed and not wake up for days."

"Ah, I just have something I don't really want to think about," Kakashi shrugged it off, soon his look became serious. Naruto was privileged with those looks of seriousness beneath all the laziness once or twice here and there. "So, are you really going to proclaim war? That's a pretty bold move there."

"We don't really have a choice," Naruto said grimly, no humor in his crystal blue eyes. "Unless we want to give up Uchiha Sasuke, otherwise we go to war."

"…" Kakashi didn't answer for a while as the crowd on the bottom of the building collected he covered his face once more and faded into the crowd.

"People of Konoha, we are amidst a crisis," Naruto said as loudly and as urgently he could possibly do when he thought the majority to the village was here. "Sound has given us an impossible request, to give up Uchiha Sasuke or go to war."

Naruto paused, a wave of whispers emerged from the crowd. He caught bits and pieces of small conversations, soon the majority was whispering, "Who's Uchiha Sasuke?"

Soon, Naruto had to stop and ask himself as well.

_Who _is_ Uchiha Sasuke?_

--------------------------

A/N: And I'll stop there. Probably I'll revise it a few times, but otherwise I'll try to post at least two chapters more. For the summer, I will be going to Asia until September 1st. Don't expect me to post anything after June 25. If I do, it's a miracle.

I personally like this story, it took me forever to think of something that wasn't totally OOC or romance. I was inspired after some thinking and trying to piece everything together. Why doesn't anyone know who Sasuke is, it's because…woops, can't tell.

O.o It's been a while since I updated anything…well, I'm not dead…yet.


	2. Who Is Uchiha Sasuke?

**Gone and Forgotten**

**Summary:** Orochimaru has launched a full out war on Konoha once again demanding for the last Uchiha, Uchiha Sasuke. With the newly appointed Rokudaime, Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha strikes back. A message written in an ancient code that was passed down from Tsunade is to be sent to a strange man. All of Konoha is troubled: Who in the world is this Uchiha Sasuke?

Previous Chapter: Orochimaru has given an impossible decision for the Rokudaime, Uzumaki Naruto, either give up Uchiha Sasuke or start another war. After proclaiming to the village that war will begin once again between Sound and Leaf, people are forced to question. Who is Uchiha Sasuke?

Authors Note

Well, that went well. I did say that I would post two more chapters after the prologue. Here's the first.

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto in anyway**

Chapter One: Who is Uchiha Sasuke?

"Who _is_ Uchiha Sasuke?" an ANBU with a hawk mask asked the Hokage pointedly. The gathering was ended with a few words that the peace would be disturbed, but after a majority vote. It was off to war. _The peace of this village has to perish for now_, Naruto thought in slight disappointment before noticing he was getting side track from the other ninja's question.

"I…I don't know everyone in this village much less this Uchiha Sasuke," Naruto thought hard on the name, he repeated 'Uchiha Sasuke' over and over again trying to get some remembrance if such a person even existed. A flash of red eyes spun across his line of sight, but it was wiped out as quickly as it came.

"He was your teammate," the ANBU with the dog mask, Kakashi, said in a monotone.

Naruto fingered the cool metal of his headband and frowned, "How come I don't remember him then?"

"I wouldn't expect you to," Kakashi said the same emotionless voice. "I wouldn't expect you to remember him…"

Leaving his sentence hanging, Kakashi performed some seals and disappeared from the railing that he was leaning against. Naruto frown even more, how could he forget someone as important as a teammate? That just didn't make sense. A slight rippling from Kyuubi's seal told him that the fox knew and wasn't telling even if he could. The past five years went flying by as if only five minutes, he was only 16 when Orochimaru came with his second war. They fought for a long four years, the longest four years in his life.

He was only 19 when the Akatsuki launched a full out attack on Konoha for Kyuubi while they were still fighting against Orochimaru. That wouldn't even be called a war, since it ended to suddenly when their so called Leader just died. Naruto wasn't that dense by then not to know that someone killed the Leader of the Akatsuki, the question was who? All the Akatsuki members retreated by the end of the second month. Everyone called it the Five Years of War even though it was only four years only counting the second war launched by Orochimaru and the two month within the fourth year.

Now his twentieth birthday just passed and he was the Hokage, Orochimaru decides to launch a third war. Over this Uchiha Sasuke person, who was a teammate of his that Naruto didn't even remember.

"Perfect, just _damn_ perfect," Naruto hissed at no one in particular. Now he was forced to go seek _him_ out. Life wasn't fair at the moment.

----------------

Shikamaru was lying lazily on the hill gazing at the wispy, white clouds that hung like ornaments in the afternoon sky. He even took the effort to get himself out here instead of just seating himself on the roof which would have been much closer. The clouds were much more visible out here in the open though. As they say, 'No pain, no gain.'

"Lazy bum, get up," a grouchy voice which Shikamaru recognized as the person who lost their bet said. A smile danced across the jounin's face, Uzumaki Naruto had his pride when placing a bet. So what was so urgent that made him lose within a week?

"Someone owns me money," Shikamaru said lazily acknowledging the presence of the Sixth Hokage.

"I know I do," Naruto scowled. _And if it weren't for Orochimaru I'd still have my pocket change_, Naruto thought in resentment. _If I don't come to Shikamaru for help for a month I would have gotten a month of free ramen._

"You know our bet and that you lost," Shikamaru clarified. "So what's the problem now?"

"Actually…" Naruto started to say, but he was immediately cut off by the dark haired man,

"Can't think of a way to get into a mansion and decided to go in through the sewer system?" Shikamaru snickered, not rudely.

"Hey, it would have worked just as find as the air vents!" the Rokudaime protested in a playful air before remembering what he was here to ask. "Have you heard of the third war that Orochimaru is launching?"

"Sadly, yes," the cloud watcher said in disdain. "Ino ran all the way up here to tell me as well as yell at me for a good ten minutes, she just left."

"Shikamaru, do you know anyone called Uchiha Sasuke?" Naruto asked with an air of seriousness that Shikamaru had yet to see more of.

"I don't know any Uchiha Sasuke, but I _do_ know about the Uchiha clan," Shikamaru said aloofly.

"What about the Uchiha clan?" Naruto asked, this could just be the thing to help him find his forgotten teammate.

"The Uchiha clan was wiped out in a mass plague a hundred years ago…"

Those thirteen words pierced any hope that he harbored before.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked trying hard not to show his disappointment.

"…didn't happen as documentaries stated," Shikamaru ended his sentence not even bothering to look at the Rokudaime. "In many history books, almost _all_ of them, states that the Uchiha clan died to a plague. If they truly did, the Uchiha District wouldn't look as broken down as it does now. It wouldn't exist."

"I thought that…" once again, much to Naruto's displeasure, Shikamaru interrupted.

"That the Uchiha District was a place that Konoha preserved right? If they were to preserve the place, why is it so broken down though?"

"So what you are saying is that…" Naruto started, his blue eyes lighting up considerable.

"The Uchiha clan probably is still out there somewhere, if not right under our noses. This Uchiha Sasuke person is in hiding for whatever personal reasons."

"So I guess it's our job to find him, ne?" Naruto's smile was blinding.

"_Our_ job? Oh crap."

A/N: Yeah, well, I tried. Thanks for all the reviews, I appreciated the encouragement.

Preview 

Shikamaru decided all the documentaries that the Uchiha clan has died out were all lies. Now Naruto and Shikamaru are going to find Uchiha Sasuke!Naruto sends the Secret Scroll given to him by Tsunade, who it goes to? Naruto doesn't have time to ponder that.War is coming, but another Akatsuki attack is also! Will Konoha be able to survive this war? Or will it finally fall?

Wait for the next chapter: **Secret Message**


	3. Secret Message

**Gone and Forgotten**

**Summary:** Orochimaru has launched a full out war on Konoha once again demanding for the last Uchiha, Uchiha Sasuke. With the newly appointed Rokudaime, Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha strikes back. A message written in an ancient code that was passed down from Tsunade is to be sent to a strange man. All of Konoha is troubled: Who in the world is this Uchiha Sasuke?

Previous Chapter: After Kakashi's hint about Sasuke, Naruto goes to Shikamaru for help. With Shikamaru's careful observations of the so called wiped out Uchiha Clan, he and the Rokudaime are off to find this Uchiha Sasuke!

Author's Note

Wow, was 'sdkfkslj's comment a compliment or flame? It flatters me that I finally confused someone, yet it sounds like a complaint. Such vaguer comment, I'm really getting confused now. - Thanks to all those who reviewed, I'm really trying to cram in a few chapters before I leave for Asia. So I've been getting all my ideas on paper and some things are coming out incoherently. I can't blame 'sdkfkslj's confusion.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto in any way; if I did then you wouldn't read past the first book because of my procrastination.**

Chapter Two: Secret Message

"Zip, zip, zero," Shikamaru muttered stashing file by file into a pile to be put back. Never was Nara Shikamaru so disorganized. Even though lazy, the genius would never let his working space get _this_ dirty. Files were piled up into large boxes; some of them had their content was spilling out, while others were spread all over his desk. A few lay in disarray on the hazel wood floor, while being squashed by large volumes of Konoha's history.

This was like that chase for his traitor guy that went to Orochimaru, who it was, Shikamaru no longer remembered. Only a fuzzy outline of the teen was visible in his mind, oh great, now he was getting sidetracked. It was late at night, the only two light sources was the candle that sat on his desk and the full moon. It was very inconvenient for a black out to happen _now_.

_Zip, zip, zero._

The candle flickered in the wind, Orochimaru also choose a horrible season to start a war. In the summer, Konoha was hot and humid. The wind was hot, even the breeze felt like the sun. What sucked even more was that because of this power outage the air conditioner would no longer work. How could anyone wear black and _still _go outside?

A name jumped out at Shikamaru in his sleepy skimming of files. Uchiha Itachi. Somehow that name left a bitter taste in his mouth like those herbal medicines when spoken. It was odd that his birthday wasn't a hundred years ago, neither was the criminal record. His first crime was blacked out. However, it was Uchiha Itachi's other records that worried him.

Itachi was in the Akatsuki, the same Akatsuki that lead an intrusion upon Konoha to take Kyuubi, the Nine Tailed Fox. This information didn't seem promising. This seemed like a fruitless search, but since the Rokudaime asked for the information.

_Uchiha Itachi it is_, Shikamaru thought in a scoffing manner. _Hope he didn't massacre his clan or something…_

On the other side of the village, Uzumaki Naruto was also wide awake. Not researching, but still awake. This evening's conversation with Tsunade made him shift uneasily in his chair. He cleaned out his room somewhat so it looked perhaps half decent. A new book shelf was neatly set up in the corner of his bedroom with a wooden chair and coffee table near it.

It was after he finished talking to Shikamaru and retired into the office for some last paperwork he'd been holding off. That was when Tsunade paid him a quick visit.

"_Naruto, you there?" Naruto recognized the voice of the previous Hokage immediately, as the door creaked open._

_The fox man flashed at her a smile welcoming Tsunade into the office. Mocking a gentleman's voice, Naruto asked sweetly, "My lady, what brings you here to grace me with your presence?"_

_Tsunade scowled at such a greeting and pointedly ignored it. She was still masking herself as a twenty years old woman, even though Naruto knew she wasn't that young. Her blond hair was trimmed so that it only reached to the middle of her back. Tsunade still caught a lot of looks with the size of her chest, but all of Konoha knew that in order for her to be one of the legendary Senin she was old._

"_Brat, I didn't come all the way to be mocked," she said placing both of her hands on her hips raising an eyebrow to the blonde man's greeting. "Just so you know the thing about Uchiha Sasuke…"_

"_What about it?" Naruto asked eagerly almost jumping out of his seat in enthusiasm. _

"_Here," Tsunade placed a scroll onto his desk. "Send this to a man called Uchiha Itachi, he will be able to help you find his younger brother."_

"_Younger brother?" Naruto asked eyeing Tsunade in literal surprise. "You mean that Uchiha Sasuke has an older brother?"_

"_You heard me," the ex-Hokage was getting impatient with her successor's questions. "I don't know more than that, just send it out."_

Naruto sent it out only ten minutes after the Godaime's departure, with the fastest carrier just in case this Uchiha Itachi person was far away.

"He'd better get it soon…" Naruto murmured sleepily, he made his way to the bed. Before his head even hit the pillow, the Hokage was fast asleep.

Much to the oblivious Rokudaime, Itachi was _way_ closer than predicted. Red eyes stared out into the night as the carrier disappeared into sight, long black hair tamed only by a thin hair tie. He sat on the Hokage Mountain where all the past Hokage's faces were carved into a large mountain.

Unrolling the scroll, Uchiha Itachi let a ghost of a smile pass his lips. Orochimaru made his move, it was time for the last conquest for the tailed demons.

_Soon_, the Uchiha thought. _Soon I'll be able…_

Not finishing his thought, Uchiha Itachi disappeared toward setting moon into the dark morning.

A/N: That was the worst chapter I wrote in _years_. I didn't like how it came out. At the end it was supposed to be that Itachi disappeared 'toward the direction of Konoha' but I just remembered that I placed him on the Hokage Mountain. Hope you enjoyed! I appreciated all reviews!

Preview

Uchiha Itachi presents himself to the Hokage. Shikamaru's sarcastic thoughts are proven to be true. The Akatsuki as well as Orochimaru are getting nearer everyday. Where the hell is Sasuke!

All in the next chapter: **Confusion**


	4. Confusion

**Gone and Forgotten**

**Summary:** Orochimaru has launched a full out war on Konoha once again demanding for the last Uchiha, Uchiha Sasuke. With the newly appointed Rokudaime, Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha strikes back. A message written in an ancient code that was passed down from Tsunade is to be sent to a strange man. All of Konoha is troubled: Who in the world is this Uchiha Sasuke?

Previous Chapter: The wheels of motion are turning. Naruto and Shikamaru are finding Uchiha Sasuke, hopeful to keep the man away from Orochimaru. Kakashi has revealed little about his knowing of Sasuke, it won't be too long before he reveals more. Uchiha Itachi's intentions are unclear, no one knows what he's up to.

Author's Note

Wow, I may actually post five chapters before I leave. O.o I loved everyone's great guesses, some came _too_ close for my liking, _way too close_. You people need to stop being so observant and knowledgeable! Better yet, I have to learn how to confuse you even more. Now I remember something my friend told me after reading some of the reviews.

'This is fiction, if everything was so clear then why would anyone bother to continue?'

I decided that she was right. Just to let you know, I've decided to create some more loop holes if I follow them down I don't know.

Chapter Three: Confusion

_Kakashi that damn son of a…_ Naruto thought growling with rage. A thought hit him just a while ago, why not go to Kakashi and get some _straight_ answers? After his encounter with the silver haired ANBU reminded him why he went to Shikamaru instead, but right now he wouldn't think about the morning's confrontation.

Red eyes bored into his skull, Naruto shot a quick glance at the man behind him. Those crimson eyes weren't the man's normal colored eyes, which were pure black, nor were they decorations. A windmill like decoration made with comma shapes in his eyes kind of freaked the Rokudaime out. He seldom saw Kakashi's Sharingan, which brought himself back to the morning.

"_Kakashi-sensei," Naruto started to ask but stopped and corrected himself. "No, Kakashi, why are you avoiding me?"_

"_Hokage-sama, I have no idea what you're talking about," the Copy Ninja said looking out the large paneled window of the Hokage's office. "I've been busy, that's all."_

"_Well, no _sane_ man would do _ten_ A rank missions in a _week_," Naruto said hotly, emphasizing on three words._

"_You're questioning my ability?" Kakashi asked calmly raising an eyebrow._

"_No, I'm questioning your _S-A-N-I-T-Y_," the Rokudaime stressed out the 'sanity'. "I'm questioning your lack of cooperation to help your leader."_

"_I don't see what's the problem," Kakashi said softly, he walked toward the window with soft clicks of his sandals. "I've done my best on missions with my team."_

"_I'm not talking about missions, Mr. ANBU Captain," Naruto snorted at his former sensei's way of avoiding his real meaning, the blonde was no longer a clueless Genin. "You know perfectly what I'm talking about."_

"_Actually I don't, fill me in on what I missed," the silver hair ANBU said putting on an air of fake confusion. "I have been gone on that mission for quite a while."_

"_Uchiha Sasuke!" Naruto hissed slamming his fist on the table. "You know something. You know something that might prove useful. You know why we can't remember this man, you know. I know you do."_

"…" _Kakashi didn't answer immediately, a tense silence fell upon the two men. Finally it was broke by Kakashi low voice. "Naruto, some things you shouldn't rush into. After all it's not my rightful place to say anything, is it, Uchiha Itachi?"_

_Red eyes stared through the window of the Hokage's office, a cloaked figure sat leisurely against the tree outside Naruto's office. No doubt listening to the whole conversation though the thin glass._

Almost tripping over his feet made him remember the man behind him, stuttering an apology for dozing off Naruto opened the door to his office. The first thing the blonde noticed almost immediately about Itachi was that the man was silent. _Way_ too silent. Even his footsteps were hard to hear with his abnormal hearing adapted from Kyuubi.

Both of them entered the office, Naruto had Hinata pull the curtains over so no one would know about their surprise guest just _yet_. The Hokage took another glance at the Uchiha, his large cloak was already set onto a chair next to the desk. His dark hair was pulled up in a ponytail that ran to a little higher than mid waist. Somehow his right eye was twitching from time to time. His clothes were all black, but the purple nail polish that was inked onto his fingernails caught the attention of the blonde Hokage. Didn't some group he knew wear purple nail polish and large black cloaks?

Deciding he was thinking too much, Naruto shoved that question to the back of his mind. How could Tsunade give him a message to be sent to the most dangerous organization that wanted Kyuubi? He couldn't be from the Akatsuki.

Naruto made a pained smile, and started to speak, "Uchiha Itachi, nice to meet you. As you probably know, I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

"…" the man didn't say anything, but somehow the blonde knew that he wanted to get right to the point.

"Well, I don't know what was written in the message that was sent to you," Naruto said grimly. "It was written in a code used by the ANBU squad from quite a while ago. I suppose that you were once in the ANBU, am I correct?"

Naruto paused for while, it only added to the uncomfortable air that seemed to swirl around them. After a slight conversation that was literally one sided, Naruto didn't except Itachi to make anymore move than a small nod or a frown that seemed to disagree.

"Well, Itachi-san, we would like to know more about your younger brother, Sasuke?" Naruto learned by now not to wait, so he continued. "Orochimaru is on his way any day now, we would like to…"

"There's no need to worry about that _snake_ for now," Itachi seemed to be slightly disgusted at Orochimaru for whatever personal reasons, Naruto had yet to know. "He won't be attacking the village, doesn't have enough recruits…"

Itachi stopped there and seemed to be picking up his thoughts, that was plainly ignored by the Rokudaime.

"Excellent!" Naruto clapped his hands, no matter how mature he looked; he was still quite optimistic and believing. Itachi _seemed_ to be a believable person. After all they don't say 'Innocent till proven guilty' for nothing.

In his glee, Itachi said two words that could have changed the out come of the future, "Until yesterday."

Shikamaru couldn't believe the success, it was a month after Itachi came to Konoha and the lazy one actually did something. He found lost records of Konoha's history in forbidden scrolls that accidentally came loose. They were records of the first Uchihas that settled in Konoha when the Hidden Village of Leaf was first started.

The Uchihas were probably the strongest clan second to the Hyuugas. Their 'eye' the Sharingan, could copy almost any jutsu as well as physical abilities. This red eye is also known for looking through illusions and placing illusions. They even had a secret Sharingan that you needed to pass a certain requirement in order to get. What surprised him was the history of the Uchiha clan just eight or nine years ago. Uchiha Itachi massacred his whole clan leaving only his younger brother alive.

Only Uchiha Sasuke as an eight year old boy had survived.

_And Uchiha Itachi was currently with the Hokage._

That worried Shikamaru, at first it was the Akatsuki, now a massacre?

Kakashi stared at a picture; it was Naruto and Sakura when they were only Genin. Another boy was in it, no, it wasn't Sai. The boy had dark hair and eyes just like Sai, but a constant scowl as well. The boy in the picture has his eyebrows furrowed together, lips curved downward as if the whole world was against him.

The silver haired man knew he shouldn't keep such a thing, what if someone found it? That boy in the picture would be questioned about.

Kakashi could still remember Sasuke's bad habit of twitching his right eye. It was downright hilarious sometimes when it twitched faster than usual because of Naruto's latest prank, yet with the Sharingan it even freaked Kakashi out.

He remembered Sasuke, of course. He was the one that was decided to become the one to keep this secret. No one except Uchiha Sasuke himself knew about this.

"_Godaime-sama," the usually stoic boy said, Uchiha Sasuke was sixteen and brought back to Konoha by Naruto just a week before. "Please consider my last request…only one request…one _selfish_ request…"_

A/N: Well, I'll be ending it here. Kakashi leaks out some info to the readers! I guess you already now what Sasuke's 'selfish' request was…-.-" But hey I'm trying! Since some of you were asking why Naruto didn't go to Kakashi instead of Shikamaru I decided to add that little flashback in the beginning. Something in this chapter hints about Sasuke and where he is, read it closely again if you have to.

Preview

Kakashi reminisces about Sasuke's last request and how it was handled. Shikamaru confronts Uchiha Itachi on his own, unknowing that Sakura was actually there all along. Orochimaru was going to get there at dawn of the New Years. How chaotic is that?

All in the next chapter: **Happy New Years!**


	5. Happy New Years!

**Gone and Forgotten**

**Summary:** Orochimaru has launched a full out war on Konoha once again demanding for the last Uchiha, Uchiha Sasuke. With the newly appointed Rokudaime, Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha strikes back. A message written in an ancient code that was passed down from Tsunade is to be sent to a strange man. All of Konoha is troubled: Who in the world is this Uchiha Sasuke?

Previous Chapter: Uchiha Itachi meets the Hokage, Naruto's naïve ways make him believe that all is safe. Shikamaru finds out about the Uchiha massacre, and Kakashi takes a walk down memory lane.

Author's Note

I'm having a bad case of writers block. But this should be the last chapter I'm posting until September, unless I find some way to steal my cousin's internet connection. I'm not a hacker! I hate that….T-T Well, this chapter _will_ be confusing. I am confused myself. I kind of want to get everything moving, but my friend advised me to take it slow and make this the best story ever. -.-

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto series in ANY way.**

Chapter Four: Happy New Years!

"_Godaime-sama," the usually stoic boy said, Uchiha Sasuke was sixteen and brought back to Konoha by Naruto just a week before. "Please consider my last request…only one request…one _selfish_ request…"_

"_Request?" the Fifth Hokage confirmed, she wasn't in the best shape lately. If you really looked at her appearance, you could see that she looked more to her real age then ever. "Uchiha, you execution date is soon. Just a week away, if it's anything that can't be done by then…you know the answer."_

"_I assure you it can be done, immediately if you wish," Sasuke stated choosing his words carefully, being polite may help him get what he wants. _

"_What is it?" Tsunade asked wearily, she has some sense of forbidding. An Uchiha's request usually isn't something good._

"_I request that everyone in this village to forget about my existence, my clan's, as well as…my brother's," the Uchiha heir seemed to have difficulty calling Itachi his brother. "This will be nothing negative for the village, it may even help."_

"…" _Kakashi was listening to this so called 'secret meeting,' he was Sasuke's guard. For a month the young Uchiha was placed under house arrest, it was only two weeks ago that the elders decided that a private execution was the best for the village. Sasuke spaced out in the Uchiha mansion ever since that day, no doubt that he had giving this a lot of thought._

"_Do you know what you are suggesting?" the blonde asked raising an eyebrow. "For us to forget the existence of the Uchiha clan will bring us down while other villages have full knowledge?"_

"_For the village to forget about the existence of my clan will stop all requests for reevaluation on my case," Sasuke answered definitely, his mind was all set on this decision. Knowing an Uchiha's stubbornness, he would not back down until the request is granted. "Naruto would be happier, Sakura wouldn't brood all day. You do want the happiness of the one you would call your kin and your apprentice."_

"…" _Tsunade remained quiet, she didn't make eye contact with the dark haired boy. _

_Kakashi, even through the door, could sense the inner conflict. Tsunade _did_ want Naruto and Sakura to stop sulking all the time just because of one troublemaking Uchiha. _

Sasuke sure hit something dead on_, Kakashi thought grimly. _So he _did_ put a little thought into this.

"_I will think about it," Tsunade finally said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "I will take this into consideration."_

_Sasuke let with a hardly visible bow, as he passed Kakashi at the door, he whispered a question one full of doubt, "Am I doing the right thing?"_

"_Only time can tell, Sasuke," Kakashi murmured, it didn't sound reassuring and it wasn't supposed to. "Only time can tell…"_

_Their little exchanged was heard by none as the two Sharingan users walked back to the Uchiha district, or what was left of it._

Kakashi smiled at his own response, 'Only time can tell.' It's been four damn years since that request was brought forth to the ex-Hokage Tsunade. Sasuke is dead, no, he _should_ be dead. If anyone looked through execution records, they would find a smudged out name with a red line that crossed out the name. Kakashi knew that Sasuke _should_ be dead, yet something told him that his former student managed to get out of execution. _Somehow_.

He knows of this event, but Kakashi didn't participate in those that followed. Sasuke choose him, choose_ Kakashi_, as the only one that remember just in case his name comes back up somewhere. The Uchiha choose him to _remember_, but not know _where_ the boy, now man, is.

On the other side of the village, Nara Shikamaru was forced to test his true skills as a ninja. Finding Uchiha Itachi, god that man disappears to the middle of nowhere and reappears out of thin air. However, the most difficult task was after the finding of this man. Shikamaru was going to confront a man who became ANBU captain at the age of 13, who massacred his whole clan sparing none but his younger brother, not to mention who became the youngest member of the Akatsuki.

His eye caught the familiar cloak of Uchiha Itachi, the man that he'd been observing for so long. There was no mistake. It was him.

"Uchiha Itachi," Shikamaru began, he paused waiting for an acknowledgement of any kind. Receiving none he decided to just continue. "I looked up your records, hard as they were to find, you are a potential S-classed criminal. How you slipped into Konoha without any recognition I don't know. Neither do I want to know."

Itachi didn't respond or move at all. Shikamaru gathered his courage, and stated, more like proclaimed, "You are accused of murdering your clan at the age of 13 leaving only one survivor, who is the person that caused this mess, Uchiha Sasuke. Not to mention you are affiliated with the Akatsuki. Personally I don't want to fight you, since you have already proved to be quite skilled from records of your childhood. If you continue to seek out Kyuubi through such ways, getting too close to Naruto, I will be forced to take action…"

However Shikamaru didn't finish his sentence, a fairly heavy gust of wind blew and the figure of Itachi crumpled in the wind. The Nara inched toward the fallen body cautiously, examining the body quickly he came to the conclusion being the genius he was.

"Noway," the genius breathed. "_It's a doll_."

Shikamaru was too absorbed in his latest find to notice a flash of pink dart away from the scene. Sakura was also breathing heavily, she's been there before Shikamaru trying to strike a conversation with this odd man. Her emerald eye flashed a glance at the necklace she held in her hand, she had found it on the ground next to the Uchiha.

Sakura combed her bright pink hair quickly with her fingers, pushing some stray hair back. She had trouble processing all the information taken in that Shikamaru had provided.

"…_you are a potential S-classed criminal…"_

"…_accused of murdering your clan at the age of 13…"_

"…_leaving only one survivor…Uchiha Sasuke…"_

"…_affiliated with the Akatsuki…"_

"_It's a doll."_

She was Chunin now but such information was hard to process since she thought she'd _killed_ the man. The necklace was pulsing with some chakara, if what Shikamaru said was right. Then this necklace was how whoever out here controlled the doll at such a range. Then again, it could have been a close range jutsu. If only there were more clues.

_I remember why I hated mysteries_, Sakura mused in her mind. _It's because their _damn_ confusing._

Away from all the residences in Konoha, one man plotted in the shadows of the forest that boarded the Hidden Village of Leaf.

"Orochimaru-sama," one of the man's minions bowed respectfully and fear. "Our troops will be ready to attack the first month of the calendar."

"If I remember correctly foreigners called it 'New Years'?" one man with silver hair much like the Copy Ninja's, his glasses reflected the almost full moon.

"Oh, is that so?" the man called Orochimaru smiled in a twisted manner. "One more week before this 'New Years.' "

"One more week," the silver haired man echoed.

"Happy New Years Kabuto," Orochimaru said out of the blue. "I would wish Konoha a Happy New Year if only their destruction wasn't that date."

Far from both Konoha and Orochimaru, in Suna, one boy with bright blond hair that looked white bounded across the street. His location was his sensei's house. His sensei was a great doll maker, his dolls could come to life as if real. The man wasn't just a doll maker, he was also a _ninja_.

"You're early Kinshi," a doll greeted him, it was one of those dolls that did work around the house. This one was special though, Meru could almost be called human. Her joints were invisible, just as humans she would blink and breathe. Not even her ears gave her off, she was a perfect doll. One that his master had made.

This knowledge made Kinshi flush in pride. After polite greetings with Meru, he ran to greet his master. The workshop door was closed, which was odd, it was never closed. From within he heard voices.

"…no, I would not do it…" came his master's voice.

"…I'm practically begging you now…" was a voice he recognized too well.

"…that's such a risk…"

"…I must take that risk…"

"…you're still a boy…" Kinshi could hear the irritation in his master's voice.

"…I'm a man now…"

Kinshi flinched as his master's loud yelling came unmasked by the thin doors and walls. Only toward _him_ would his master get so irritated and bother to raise his voice.

"YOU WILL STAY PUT; I WILL MAKE SURE OF IT UCHIHA SASUKE!"

Kinshi sighed, Sasuke-san was here _again_.

A/N: When I finished this chapter I was like a goldfish out of water: OoO Yeah, like that only that my mouth reached the floor. HAH! Uchiha Itachi's a DOLL, not the real thing. Now we learn that in Suna, Kinshi's mysterious master affiliates himself with Sasuke. Who's this master? -evil crackle- Now we know about Sasuke, or at least you _think_ it's Sasuke.

NOTICE: This is the last chapter I'll be posting before I leave for Asia, which I am tomorrow. I will come back by mid September at the latest.

Preview

Shikamaru reports his find to the Hokage, at the same time Orochimaru is sighted near the boarder. Konoha goes into panic while Sakura traces the necklace into Suna, can she get there in one piece though? Will she ask for Naruto's help or be foolish enough to try and cross the boarder herself with Orochimaru lurking somewhere in the forest? Is it an accident or fate that Kakashi bumps into Kinshi after finishing a tedious mission?

In the next chapter: **Doll Master's Apprentice**


	6. ALERT ALERT

ALERT!!!

SODESNE WON'T BE ABLE TO COME BACK UNTIL…did I get your attention? Okay, good. Well, Sodesne can't come back until the end of January. However, I, _Thing_, will be filling in for her. This is the million dollar question.

Do you want to wait for Sodesne to return and have the story continue? Or would you not mind if I wrote the remaining chapter until Sodesne comes back?


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